Have an adventure in August with the NSD challenge

butdoineedit?

(((((((((((hugs))))))))))) Spoon, hope you've had a better day today & you're taking care of yourself.

No NSD for me today, not the start i wanted but had to fork out nearly £15 on prescriptions :eek: as it appears i have mumps (double :eek::eek:)
So currently have a face like a hamster & feel slightly off my head due to the extra strength painkillers the Dr prescribed..... Ah well, at least the fact i am too contagious to leave the house will help the NSD quest!!

SpendSpendSpend

Woohoo, NSD 2 for me today & 2nd in a row I really hope I can make it to Sunday without spending.

Spoon, take care of yourself. From what I've seen & read on here you're a superstar so don't overdo it :grouphug:

I'm really enjoying this challenge and the support/friendliness of this thread and as you can see I've finally discovered how to use different fonts & smilies (God help you all now!)

cw18

huuuuuuuge (hugs) for BDINI - but given remotely, as I don't want mumps thankyou !!

Another spendy day for me.

Had my personal trainer session this morning instead of on Friday (as I've been asked to work Fri morn), and paid him for a block of 10 sessions - or to be more accurate paid him the first instalement, as he said last week he was happy to take half now and the other half no later than the start of the 6th session (but I hope to be able to pay him the rest next week, as my next appt is payday).

So while on the complex I nipped into B'n'M to check out memory foam matress toppers (also checked another store where I've seen them in the past, but they'd run out), and brought one of those home with me as well as 2 boxes of 16 sachets of instant porridge (apple and blueberry, which I don't see in that size box anywhere else and it was a lot cheaper than I see any box that size anywhere else)

As I left work I nipped over to A!di for a loaf of bread (I like their cheapest white one a lot better than our value loaf, and it's within pennies of the same price even after I allow for staff discount - an few extra pennies worth spending IMO), but came home with a load of marked down rolls and some treats instead (pack of 6 large seeded burger buns, pack of 4 large cheese top rolls, a W@rbutons fruit loaf with orange and a pack of 2 belgian buns - all reduced to 50% - plus a tin of squirty cream and a tub of clotted cream).

Then - just before I nipped back out for a while - the window cleaner came for paying. So I did my normal thing of paying for today plus the next (due back in 2 weeks) which may mean I can retain an NSD later in the month instead of losing it to him

And after I took the original bedding back to Arg0s (having noted as I rounded it up that the labels on the back call it 'Mineral Blue' despite their website still listing it as 'Duck Egg' - no wonder it was such a bad mis-match ) I nipped back into work as I fancied some sort of chips with my kievs but didn't have any in the freezers.



Having hit A!di I missed another couple of stores I'd wanted 'cos they'd closed, so I've tucked away some cash for new strimmer wire and some 40w light bulbs to try and preserve an NSD - should make those stores after work tommorrow, and desperately need both items....

The_Dragon

As of last night I was up to 2 nsd - but today was a spendy one so no go on the 5 in a row just yet!

Pips_Mum

Number 2 for me today :-)

Well done everyone x

SpendSpendSpend

cw18 I haven't seen the window cleaner for a few weeks now but he always turns up when I really don't want him to so I bet he comes this week just as I'm trying to get going with this challenge.

I may just try and hide from him so I don't have a spend day;)

IF

Evening NSD'ers

Spoony got my 2nd NSD today, thank you x :A



Written by solventsoon aka Spoon our inspirational mentor:-

Hi lovely NSD gang:A
As you can see there is lots of activity on this challenge at the moment and it's difficult sometimes to see how many NSDs you're all declaring on posts.
Could I ask you to highlight your number of NSDs in a colour and in bold so that I can see them easily when I whizz through the posts - red would be best but I don't really mind as long as I can see the numbers easily.





Some helpful suggestions and ideas to follow below from our sponsor and godmother, BigMummaF :A

NO SPEND CHALLENGE.

1. Have a good, long think about what YOU want to include in your Spend & Excluded categories.
Some of us count everything from Direct Debits & school expenses, while others do not include things like essential Bills or emergency medical costs. If you plan what is or is not a Spend for you now, it will help you decide on a realistic Target.
2. It is NOT a race!
We all have very different demands on our time & bank balance, so please do not think you have to buy everything on 1st January & make it last till 31st December! A few of us have been following this Challenge for a long...long...LONG time so have developed plans & ploys to help us along the way
3. Most important of all, WE..DO..NOT..FAIL!
Sometimes we can't quite reach our Target, but that is fine Everyone knows how Life will try to trip us up, & that is when you will find us here to help you back on to your feet.

OK, an idea of how some of us do things.
1. What you will or will not include as a 'Spend'.
Some people are doing other Challenges too, & don't include the money spent on those for this one.
Some will try to shop for other bits on the days their direct debits etc go out of their bank accounts; they're the real hard core of the bunch & have been l-o-n-g time Nsders so don't panic
Some won't count those annoying last minute demands from school & collections as you can't plan for them in advance, likewise emergency prescriptions or visits to the vet
Personally speaking & providing I don't buy anything else, I don't count parking for hospital appointments.(..but then I usually do my shopping because I'm already out :whistle:)
General thoughts on €bay sales is the buyer has paid P&P so no cost to you
2. It takes Time to reach mega-numbers!
The First suggestion is the first, because a bit of planning will work wonders on your road to your Target. Have a look at Solvent's (aka Spoon:rotfl:) first posts each month for a hefty list of other Threads that may be of help. For example, there's a few giving ideas for packed lunches so you can avoid standing in the queue at the bakers for 45mins of your lunch hour! A good incentive to tweak your healthy eating & the pounds you save will show in your bank balance AND your waistline
It helps to have various 'money pots' for the different costs that happen like Scouts, dinner money, yoga, window cleaner etc etc. The idea is you "spend" all that money in one hit by..:think:..let's say **putting the week's bus fares into the pretty coffee jar, Jo's tumble tots SIZE=2]Weds mornings[/SIZE in the cracked teapot & Ben's £1 coin for the gym locker SIZE=2]Friday lunch[/SIZE in the pocket of the changing bag, on Tuesdays every week when you've got some change from doing the food shop, so an already spendy day. At least four 'spending days' condensed into one (**mine's jam jars for windows, milkman & a bit towards the bills!)
3. Any day the money stays in your pocket is a bonus!
If you look at it as a day you beat the system, you can't help but :j so don't fret it--ENJOY! If nothing else in here, we do manage find something to make us smile

We have virtual outings to wonderful places that never cost us a bean :rotfl:New York, Edinburgh & Brighton have been a couple & Spoon usually pilots the Tardis but you can use your own transport; my personal favourite has been a sit-on lawn mower borrowed from the cricket club The only thing to be aware of is Hubert the donkey who is partial to anything remotely edible but is not yet house-trained

And Remember;
there are no silly questions, so don't be afraid to ask us anything!

dannie

NSD 3 for me. No interest in spending but will that last? I hope so. Today I have been decluttering some old diaries with info. about my expenditure and one thing that occurred to me is now I wish every future spend will be worthwhile/rewarding when possible.

babysteps24

NSD number 2 for :jme

solventsoon

Hello lovely gang:A

I'm back.. did you miss me? I'm feeling much brighter today, thanks everyone.

Thanks to Actress, Cheryl, chris, kathy, beanie, Lily_The_Legend and marmite for your thoughts, much appreciated xx:A. Thanks to jinty for the flowers (how did you know freesias are my favourite:D) x:A and to If for the hug (love the picture) x:A

Stand by for a roundup:D

spoon xx